Fresh off our listing Rendezvous Bay in Anguilla as our Good Rate on Tuesday, we find out what that mysterious "ownership inquiry" link is all about...
Rendezvous Bay Hotel & Villas is going all upscale ownership on us, jumping on the increasingly crowded market for fractional second homes and retirement villas in sunny places.
According to a press release, the resort is planning "an unparalleled luxury resort with full ownership residences ranging from $3 to $20 million and fractional apartments from just $250,000." Yes, that means you pay a minimum of $250,000 but still have to work out when you are and are not allowed to stay there. And don't forget the maintenance fees!
But of course ownership here is "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" and this is a "beyond-five-star project." It is slated for completion in early 2009 and will have a signature restaurant, a world-class spa, yada yada yada.
Book a room before this fall to get in before the hotel shuts down and it becomes a construction zone.
[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which is better worth your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quotes here were valid on February, 20 2007 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]
It's never all that easy to find a bargain in the Caribbean, but on the island of Anguilla you're as likely to find a hotel room for $800 a night than one for half that. So we were happy to see one from here in Travel & Leisure's new rundown on affordable beach resorts--Rendezvous Bay Hotel.
The magazine's capsule review just says, "Spotless rooms with a funky B&B vibe," but with rates for a double starting at only $140 (for a garden view), we had to dig a little more to see if there's a catch. There may be one in the future--more on that later--but for now you get the real deal on their web site. They link directly to their reviews on TripAdvisor and they even post photos that their past guests have sent them. No high art shots of dining room plates set up by a food designer, thank you very much. And you've got to admire a hotel confident enough to list "an ever-present bridge game" as an amenity.
The place sits on 60 acres and has a two-mile stretch of beach. So that's incentive enough to either put up with minimal style and no A/C in the standards or to spend $295 to $315 for a villa room with a view. Larger units are available, including a 5-bedroom villa for $1,290 per night. All these rates are high season--they drop from May on.
Go visit soon though: the resort will be closing for a while come August 14. We assume it has something to do with the "Rendezvous Ownership Contact Form" link on the site...
[Ed. Note: This is the Bad Rate in our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature. The rates quoted here were valid on February 20, 2007 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]
Cap Juluca immediately showed up on all the lists of "the world's most expensive beach resorts" when it opened back in 1988 and it's still in the running today, with rates starting at $520 per night at this time of year for a room with no sea view and going up to $1,785 for a suite. But how long can a hotel go between renovations before the phrase "coasting on its reputation" comes up?
It looks like it might be hitting that point as the negative reviews are starting to become more frequent. According to some guests, while the rates have kept climbing, the tired-looking resort is falling further behind similar places around the world. Take one look at their amateur hour web site and it's obvious that the lack of investment goes beyond grubby fixtures and cheap lounge chairs at the pool. (Hey guys, if money is tight, trade out with a web designer who needs a tropical break. Use your assets!)
Guests complain about the last refurbishment being nine years ago and note that "You will not get Four Seasons service here, but expect to pay the same amount." Most guests would put up with some service transgressions at a $140 room at Rendezvous Bay--this week's Good Rate--but customers get grumpy more easily when the nightly tab with meals easily runs into four figures.
Yeah, we know it still pulls in some celebrities and it still makes some of those predictable annual "best of" hotel lists in magazines. But though old reputations die hard, the raves are tapering off. Of course the place has an undeniable advantage: one of the prettiest stretches of sand on the planet, one where a waiter comes around and brings you drinks and sorbet. That and a big dose of privacy are enough to keep the money crowds coming back.
There are honeymoon hotels, babymoon or conceptionmoon hotels, divorce hotels and now apparently, makeup or breakup hotels.
The Arawak Beach Inn on the island of Anguilla is putting to good use the recent statistics that the US divorce rate is around 40 percent and capitalizing on the public spits of celeb couples like Reese and Ryan, Pam and Kid, Britney and K-Fed by offering couples a vacation to ultimately decide whether their union is worth salvaging or dismantling.
Boasting plenty of opportunities to talk things out, the Make or Break Escape includes two intimate dinners at the Arawak's Beach Café (or served in-room for the utmost privacy). For couples in need of total seclusion for more heated conversations, the package also features a day trip to an uninhabited island. Arawak's oceanfront accommodations offer a choice of either a queen bed or, for those anticipating a need for space, two beds. For the partner who needs to take a drive to contemplate the future of the relationship, one-day car rental is included. Daily breakfast (regardless if it is a table for one or two) and round trip airport transfers are also built in to the package.
If things end up working out, book your vow renewal and second honeymoon here. Or if not, they got a Me, Myself and I package for ya too. Unfortunately, the hotel has gotten some bad reviews about the accommodations. But maybe these were just from some of the bitter, breaking up couples.
